Archive for October, 2011

Eagle-eyed BNET.com readers will have noticed that Placebo Effect, my blog about pharmaceutical news, has not been updated recently. CBS Interactive, BNET’s parent company, has decided to discontinue my coverage of the drug industry and instead increase my coverage of the advertising business on The Tagline.

It’s a shame for me personally because Placebo Effect had a monthly readership in the hundreds of thousands, and I broke some important stories in that venue.

I’m a realist, however. If advertisers don’t want to buy ads next to health/drug news, then CBS cannot continue to provide that kind of information. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

I’ve been writing about the drug industry on and off since 2004. Doubtless, at some point in the future, I will once again patrol the pharma beat. But for now, absent a sudden sponsorship of the blog, I’m taking a break.

I’d like to thank all those of you who read the column on a regular basis. I know there were many of you. I read all your emails, and all your comments, and as many tweets as I can. I will miss our correspondence.